Yellow bright giant · Sagitta
β Sagittae
Also known as: β Sge, HIP 96837
mag 4.4440 light-years
About
β Sagittae is a yellow bright giant of magnitude 4.4 in Sagitta, about 440 light-years away.
How to find it
- β Sagittae is in the constellation Sagitta.
- Best evenings: around early September it is highest at about 9 pm (10 pm in summer time); a month earlier, two hours later.
- Where on Earth: it is seen well, at least 10° up, from north of 63° S.
When it rises and sets tonight, how high it climbs and how much the Moon gets in the way are worked out in your browser for your place.
What you will see
- EyesVisible from the suburbs on a clear night, but lost in bright city skies.
- Binoculars (10×50)A sharp point; binoculars bring out its colour and the fainter stars around it.
- Telescope (6–8 inch)Still a point of light at any magnification — stars are too far away to show a disc. Low in the sky, bright stars twinkle and flash colours.
Stars look the same in any instrument: brighter and sharper, but never bigger.
Facts
| Designation | β Sagittae (β Sge) |
|---|---|
| Hipparcos number | HIP 96837 |
| Type | Yellow bright giant |
| Spectral type | G8II |
| Colour | Pale orangeB−V colour index 1.04 |
| Magnitude | 4.4The smaller the number, the brighter. |
| Distance | 440 light-yearsThe light you see left it around 1590. |
| Proper motion | 0.035″ per year across the sky |
| Constellation | Sagitta |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 19h 41m 02.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | +17° 28′ 34″ |
Sources and credits
Star data: HYG Database by David Nash, CC BY-SA 4.0. All data sources →